“For this is God, our
God forever and ever;He will be our guide even to death.”(Psm. 48:14)

EveryoneneedsGuidance

§Childrenneed guidance from parents (Pro. 22:6).

§Students need guidance from teachers.

§Christians and congregations
need guidance from God in every situation.

WhydoweneedGod’sGuidance ?

§Because God loves us:“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

§Because He knows us better than anyone.God told Jeremiah:“Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you.”(Jer. 1:5)Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, you know all things.” (Jn. 21:17)

§Because He knows the future.“He has made everything
beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no
one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”(Ecc. 3:11)

§Because God has a good
plan of the future for each one of us (Jer.
29:11-13).

God’sGuidanceoftheWholePerson

“So God created man in
His own image; in the image of God He createdhim; male and female He created them.”(Gen. 1:27)“And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living being (soul).” (Gen. 2:7)

The image of Godis expressed in thespirit, soul and bodyof a man and a woman (1 Thes.
5:23).This is the whole person.The spirit cannot be separate from the body,“For as the body
without the spirit is dead. . .”(Jas. 2:26). Therefore
the apostle John wrote to the elder Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that
you may prosperin
all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”(3 Jn.
2)

The Lord Jesus Christ
came to save not only the soul but also the spirit and the body.“And Jesuswent about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved
with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep
having no shepherd.”(Mt. 9:35-36)

HowdoesGodguideus ?

§Through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Good Shepherd.

“TheLORD is my shepherd, I shall not
want.He makes me to lie down in green
pastures;He
leads me beside the still waters.He
restores my soul;He
leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with
me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”(Psm. 23:1-3)

§“He makes me to lie down in green pastures”He gives us physical as
well as spiritual rest in a peaceful environment.

§“He leads me beside the still waters.”He fills us with the Holy Spirit and quenches
our thirst for spiritual truths and knowledge.

§“He restores my soul;”Though we may go astray but the Lord
Jesus Christ guides us back to where He wants us to go.

§“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s
sake.”TheLord Jesus
Christ guides us to a life of holiness because of His name.

God’sDeliverancefromDeath

“Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort
me.”(Psm . 23:4)God saved my life three times.Praise the name of Jesus.HALLELUYAH!

Jesus gave me back my
life when I was one year old.I had
diphtheria and was on the verge of death.My grandmother and several Indian Christians from our Congregation in Ipoh, Malaysia prayed for me and the
LORD healed me.My mother and many
relatives after witnessing this miraculous healing;believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and
were baptized into Him.

The second time God
saved me from a drowning accident in my uncle’s mining pool in Kupoi, Malaysia where our family and
other relatives had evacuated.

The third time happened
in San Francisco, California on the night of June
14, 1993.After preaching in Salinas, California Brother Samuel Liu, his
wife Sister Angela and I were involved in an automobile accident near their
home in San Francisco.The driver of the other vehicle robbed us
with a gun.He and his accomplice threw
a large rock inside our car and fired shots at us.The attacker placed his gun on my temple and
also on my chest.I prayed and rebuked
Satan in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.The robber fled, but was caught by the police.They found bullets in his pocket.At the trial the robber pleaded guilty.

Godguidesus throughtheHolySpirit

John 16:12-14

12 I still have many things to say to you, but
you cannot bear them now.

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth,
has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own
authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to
come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will
take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

The Holy Spirit reminded
Peter what the Lord Jesus Christ had taughthim concerning Baptism of Water and
Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:16).

The Lord revealed to
Paul the Holy Communion that occurred on the evening when Jesus was betrayed
and before Paul’s conversion (1 Cor. 11:23-25).

God showed Peter a
vision which changed his whole attitude and thinking about the conversion and
salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-22, 34-48).

The Holy Spirit revealed
to the EarlyApostolicChurch concerning abstention“from
things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual
immorality”(Acts 15:28-29).

The Holy Spirit
prevented Paul and Timothy to preach in Asia and Mysia, but guided them to
preach in Macedonia (Acts 16:6-15)

§By reading and practicing what is written in the Holy Bible
that is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

§By prayer in the Spirit Who“makes intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”. (Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 20).

§By being filled with the Spirit and singing “psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs, singingand making melody in your heart to the Lord.”(Eph. 5:18-19; Col.
3:16; 1 Cor. 14:15)

§We receive guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Church
Service.

§“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spiritin those days; and they shall prophesy.”(Acts 2:17-18)

§“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders,
with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according
to His own will.”(Heb. 2:4)

God’sGuidancethroughSpiritualGifts

There are nine gifts of
the Holy Spirit that God uses for the ministries.They are: word of wisdom, word of knowledge,
faith, healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits,
different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor.
12:4-11).

The spiritual gift of tongues
(charisma) is not given to every believer (1 Cor.
12:27-31).It is given to some believers on special
occasions.

When our family arrived
in San Francisco in July 1970 I had
difficulty finding a job for three months.My sister Nornie suggested that we move to Toronto, Canada.My wife and I decided to fast and pray for 3
days.On the third morning God revealed
to us through the gift of tongues with the message “Go South.”After lunch I drove south on U.S. Highway 101 and arrived in Los Angeles on a Friday
afternoon.I called Deaconess Kini and was invited to preach on the Sabbath Service to
four families from Hawaii.I was offered a job with a Walt Disney
company that designed and built Disneyworld in Florida.The True Jesus Church in Southern California was established in our
home in Santa Monica.Praise and thank God for His guidance.

God’sGuidancethroughtheGiftofProphecy

God has spoken very
clearly:“And it shall come to pass in the last days says God, that
I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spiritin those days; and they shall prophesy.”(Acts
2:17-18)

There were prophets in
the EarlyApostolicChurch (Acts 11:27-28).The
evangelist Philip“had four virgin daughters who prophesied”(Acts 21:8-10).The gift of prophecy is superior to speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:1-5)

1“Pursue love, and
desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

2For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands
him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

3But he who prophesies speaks edification and
exhortation and comfort to men.

4He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but
he who prophesies edifies the church.

5I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even
more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks
with tongues, unless he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”

TestimoniesofGod'sGuidancethroughProphecy

“Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”(Rev. 19:10)

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.”(1 Thes.. 5:19-20)

A restored ApostolicChurch in the End Time should
have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that include prophecy.I have two testimonies that show God uses the gift of prophecy for
edification, evangelism and planting new congregations.

In December 1968 during
an Evangelical and Spiritual Convocation in Ipoh, Malaysia my sister Julie
prophesied “India, India” when hands were laid
on her.The following year 1969 two new
congregations were planted in India near Chennai (Madras), one in Pammal Settlement and the other in Ambathur.

On June 4, 1981 while visiting my
sisters in Toronto, Canada I received a phone call
from Sister Alice McVay in Bakersfield, California.She asked me to go home immediately because
my wife Cecilia Joan had suddenly become seriously ill.I already had flight reservationsforHouston, Texas the following day.I was uncertain whether or not to return to Bakersfield, California or go to Houston, Texas.

I prayed with my family
in Toronto and asked our Lord
Jesus Christ for Joan's healing and guidance.During our prayer my sister Nornie prophesied: “Go forth.Have no fear.Joan will be healed.” After receiving the word of prophecy I was greatly comforted and edified. I decided to proceed to Houston. On my arrival
in Houston I called home and received the good
news from Joan that she had already been healed and had also been confirmed by
the doctor there was nothing wrong with her. Praise the LORD!HalleluYah!

I was advised by the
small congregation to relocate in Houston because there is much
work for the Lord and also in architecture. I was offered a very good
position in one of the best architectural firms in the city.Praise and thank our Lord Jesus
Christ for His guidance to establish a congregation in Houston, Texas.

EarlyChurchWorkinTexas

First baptism in Texas on January 14, 1980

in Lake
Jacksonville.Sister Helen Lo was
healed of high fever and ear infection.Our family arrived in time for the First Spiritual

Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.